Jarrod Shapiro, DPM
Practice Perfect Editor
Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Podiatric Medicine,
Surgery & Biomechanics
College of Podiatric Medicine
Western University of
Health Sciences,
St, Pomona, CA

Trust Me

Having a new home seems to have become a double-edged sword. On the one hand, my family has been enjoying home ownership with all the independence and fun that goes with it. On the other hand, we have also had to deal with the problems that accompany a new home. Either way, our new living situation provides me with unending fodder for editorial topics! A few weeks ago, it was the air conditioner. This past week was a flooded bathroom. This unfortunate problem has put into fine focus the level of trust our patients put in us, their caregivers.

Here's my short water story....

Last Sunday, I woke up early. All was quiet in the house (a rare occurrence), so trying to stay quiet, I walked into our upstairs guest bathroom only to note the uncomfortable feeling of a wet foot. Rubbing my eyes, I looked down to see a small pond on the floor, tiny waves lapping back and forth about my feet. I was no longer half asleep. After some investigating, I saw flooding from the pipes under the sink. Not good.

The next day, a plumber came out to fix our broken pipes, and then the problem began to spiral. The plumber called a drying company. The drying company installed several large fans to dry the floors and wall. The drying company then showed us the damage to the sink vanity and along the walls and baseboards. Of course, I spent a good couple of hours on the phone with my insurance company. Oh, the joys of home ownership!

Long story short, we needed significant repairs that required the services of several specialists. Having never dealt with this type of problem as a home owner, I was completely in the dark regarding the best way to repair my broken bathroom.

Tonight's Premier Lecture is
Diagnosing Skin Cancer:
New and Upcoming Techniques
Tracey Vlahovic, DPM

When I think about the level of anxiety something relatively simple like this has caused my family, I'm simply amazed at the high level of trust our patients put in us, their doctors.

Put yourself in the place of one of your surgical patients. You've been diagnosed, say, with stage 2 adult acquired flatfoot. After a period of time attempting various types of orthoses, medications, and physical therapy, your doctor tells you it's time for surgery. She then proceeds to describe a set of surgical procedures designed to repair not only your poorly functioning tendon, but also improve how your foot functions. Not being a podiatrist, you have no idea if what she is telling you is true or not. Imagine the anxiety you feel as you learn about screws being put into your foot or cutting bones to realign your foot. You don't know anything about medializing the pull of the Achilles, or equinus deformity, or the axis of the subtalar joint, among many other important concepts. All this boils down to creating one anxious patient.

As the patient, what are your options? You can do nothing, get a second opinion, or do the unthinkable…trust your doctor. Just imagine the incredible leap of faith you as the patient must take to trust your doctor and follow through with the surgery. You're basically putting your life in the hands of the medical professionals who will take care of you during and after your surgery. You trust the preop nurse who inserts the intravenous line in your arm (a very unnatural process when you think about it). You trust the circulating nurse to control the operative theater and support those during the surgery. You trust the anesthesiologist who literally has your life in their hands. Lose focus or give the wrong drug, and you're dead. Finally, you trust your surgeon to fix your broken body, a type of purposeful assault potentially far more damaging than inserting an IV line.

All of this trust simply because your doctor said, "Trust me. I can fix you."

What an incredible gift patients give their medical caregivers. Honor that trust, doctors, and do the best you possibly can. Push yourself further. You can do better. Trust me, you can…